Those Ravaging Nightmares
by Kansi-a-lari
Summary: These visions are constantly haunting. Images of a past so scarred, the wounds have yet to heal. But just becuase I am broken, does not mean I can't fight back. Starfire Oneshot slight RS


Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. But I do own the poem. If anyone out there steals it, they die : )

The format was inspired by WelcomeToParadise, because she's amazing :P

Just so you know, italics mean thoughts or memory, and bold in the poem, or in one instance, a sound.

* * *

**Those Ravaging Nightmares**

On a warm and balmy night, five friends sat outside, viewing the twinkling stars above them. They sat quietly, not needing to talk, two of them leaning on one another, while the other three tried not to smile at them. "It is so beautiful," the red haired alien broke the silence, "I can almost imagine I am back on Tamaran, watching the stars."

"Do you miss it there?" Robin asked, his arm around her.

"Sometimes," she smiled up at him from where her head was against his shoulder, "It is very different there." They settled back into their revere, gazing up at the sky from their island in the bay. The waters lapped up against the shore, barely ten feet from them. Raven lay back against the rock, and lapsed into thoughts of her own home world.

They sat there, time stretching on, living in the perfect moment. It was just the five of them, with nothing bad, and nothing to haunt them. There was no need to speak; no need for anything. Starfire closed her eyes, drowning in the perfection. She inhaled the salty scent of the sea, and the subtle fragrance of the boy she leaned against. The night air felt cool against her skin, and she suppressed a tiny shiver as the wind began to blow. It blew through her hair, making her hair blow into Robin's face.

"I am sorry!" she said, thoroughly embarrassed, quickly grabbing her hair in a fist. Beast Boy and Cyborg burst out laughing, while Raven hid a smile behind her hand.

Robin laughed, "It's fine. Your hair smells nice." He smiled at her, and gave her a small hug around her shoulders.

Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged a glance, but before either of them could crack a joke, Raven's obsidian powers clamped their mouths closed. "We're having a nice evening here," she said, with a slight smile, "and I don't' want you two ruining it." As Beast Boy glared at her, and Cyborg tried to pry the magic from his face, she merely smiled, and addressed the couple, "You know, if you want us to leave, we can."

Robin stiffened as a blush began to rise in his cheeks, "No, it's fine. You don't have to leave." Starfire was silent, watching Cyborg violently struggle with the impediment to his speak. "It is getting late, though."

"Robin is right," Starfire agreed, glancing up to see the moon almost at its zenith. Although she didn't want this perfect moment of the five of them to end, she knew it had to. _Maybe that's what made it so wonderful,_ she thought, _knowing that it has to end, and savoring every second of it. _Raven released the magic from around the boys' mouths, and Beast Boy let out a massive sigh.

"You know, you didn't have to do that," he said, sounding angry, when they all knew he wasn't.

"I know," Raven laughed, giving him a malicious look. She turned and led the way back to the tower, the others following, and Beast Boy muttering under his breath.

As the titans made their way to their rooms, Robin stopped Starfire by her door. "I've been meaning to talk to you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand nervously.

"What is it Robin?" she smiled at him, hoping she knew what he wanted to say.

"Well..." he looked at his feet nervously, "ever since Tokyo, I've wanted to do something for you. To make up for all the times I hurt you." An image of them in the rain flashed through his head, his hand gripping her arm. In Tokyo, telling her that they didn't have time, and seeing the tears run down her face.

"You do not have to do anything for me," she told him, grasping his hand in hers, "You have made everyday wonderful. That is all I need."

He smiled at her, a small blush rising in his cheeks, "Still, I got you something. Here." He brought out a small box, wrapped in light purple wrapping paper. She carefully took it from him, a huge grin upon her face. She glanced up at him, as looked on furtively, wanting to see her expression as she opened it. She slowly took off the wrappings, and slid them away to reveal a small white box.

"Robin," she said softly, lifting the lid from the box. As soon as she did, her heart froze, and she started to sweat. "You didn't have to..." Inside the box, lay two small silver bracelets, with tiny emeralds set in the bands.

"Do you like them?" he asked, wanting her to love them.

She knew that he would be hurt if she didn't, and smiling, she exclaimed, "Oh, Robin they're beautiful!" She threw her arms around his neck in one of her famous hugs, using all the force she had to hug him, and sustain the creeping sensation she felt in the back of her mind. He coughed, trying to breathe.

"Uh...Star?" he managed to choke out. She laughed nervously, and released him from her grip, grinning. "I'm glad you like them," he smiled. "Why don't you put them on?" She faltered for the barest moment, and swiftly gained her composure. Smiling, she slipped on the bracelets, admiring their beauty. He laughed, "Don't you want to take off your armbands?"

The sweat was coming thicker now, and her arms began to shake. "Is this not acceptable?" she asked, trying to calm her voice.

"Yeah...but," he said softly, "Look, if you don't like them, it's fine."

"No," she said, almost too quickly, "Robin, I love them." He gave her a quizzical look. "I do, really."

"Okay," he shrugged, "if you don't want to take them off, you don't have to." She smiled at him, pretending not to be a relieved as she was.

"Good night Robin," she said, giving him another hug before entering into her room. As soon as the door slid shut, she slumped against it, breathing heavily, and shaking all over. She was still so ashamed, and it the pain was still there. Rubbing her armbands, she pulled herself together, and threw herself down upon her bed. Trying to clear her thoughts, and ignore the images that flashed through her mind, she squeezed her eyes shut, and after lying still for a few moments, was fast asleep.

**Every time I close my eyes,**

**I see these haunting visions.**

**Images of pain long past,**

**Of a childhood stolen away**

**Scars that refused to heal,**

**A nightmare that is all too real.**

**That cursed word of _destiny_ rings through my mind,**

**Bringing with it the memories of a sacrifice readily made,**

**Never understanding what it meant,**

**Not realizing those chains were already there, **

**Waiting to strike**

**_Six years…_**

_Another day, another night full of pain. Everything is twisted; shades of tarnished colors pass before her eyes. Her clothes are tatters, and she is filthy. She can't remember the last time she was able to wash, or even dress her wounds. She stumbles through long hallways, almost unaware of where she's going. Her eyes are dead, and her soul is busy dying. Her wrists are chaffed and red, where the cold steal of her shackles bit into her skin. Her bare feet patter against the cold stone that paves the dark hallway. A sickly green mist floats above her head, poisoning the air with its foul aura. She coughs, and pauses for the slightest second to cover her mouth. They get angry when you cough up blood on their floor._

_Out of nowhere, reaches a whip, hard and strong against her flesh. Arching back, she gasps in pain. Long ago, she learned not to scream. She feels the blood running down her back, adding another stain to her clothes. Clenching her eyes, she takes another step. Stopping is worse than this. Inch after inch, she stumbles to her destination. She never knows where she's supposed to go; only that she can't stop. Her hair is tangled and matted, grown long and mangy. She is aware of nothing, not the fluorescent gas, not the stone floors, not the steal chains; nothing. Just keep going. Just don't stop._

_Her eyes are empty, and the only future she can think of is the next time she can sleep. The constant hunger doesn't bother her anymore. She can't even hear the other screams. Turning a corner, facing another empty hall, she hurries on, cautious to never waver in her stride. The outside world has faded from her mind, and she has no idea how long she has been trapped in here. Time, for her, doesn't exist. Reality consists of walking. Just keep going. If something will happen, then she will go along with it. If a bucket is put in your hands, carry it. If a stone is given to you, put it where they want it. If one of them wants anything, give it to them._

_For less than an instant, she tries to remember what life was before this. Was there a life before this? Brushing off the thought, she clears her mind, and numbs the pain. If she ignores it, then it doesn't hurt so much. Her foot catches on a tile, and she falls. Before they can get her, she scrambles to her feet, pushing up with her bony arms. The chains are almost heavier than her upper body...it takes so much to get up. Somehow, she manages to get up, and keep walking. They like it when you get up. Continuing her walking, she doesn't notice a door opening in what she had thought was a wall._

_It moves towards her, not even pretending to hide it's movement. She doesn't notice. She barely blinks as it picks her up and tosses her into the room it came from. She lies on the ground, green eyes staring at nothing. From a far away place, she feels something slowly taking off her rags. She looks, and it is there, enjoying every second of her pain. It is rough. It hurts. Her thoughts recede further into her mind, as her shell of a body is once again used by them._

Starfire jerked awake, body covered in sweat. Her walls blended together into foggy shapes that she couldn't make out. For a moment, she had no idea who or where she was. Then it all came back to her. She half fell off her bed, overcome with the strong urge to vomit. She ran to her bathroom, the room spinning around her. One hand over her mouth, she hurried across her room, going to the bathroom that was just for her. She collapsed against the floor, and leaned over the toilet, prepared to empty many of her nine stomachs. Her entire body shook, but as she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She coughed and sputtered, but nothing happened, and the shaking wouldn't stop.

A single tear forced its way out of her unblinking eye, making a trail across her cheek. Her hands trembling, she slid off her armbands. In the darkness, she lightly trailed her fingers on her arms. She felt the deep scars, the ones that had never healed. Six years. Six years of her life, and the scars would never heal. She couldn't wear those gifts Robin had given her. Her wrists were red and raw from the constant bite of the shackles. To this day, she had never let it go. What she had become in that place...she never wanted to be that again. She didn't even want to think about it.

She closed her eyes, and tried to forget her dream. She tried to forget her reality. She had rebuilt it on Earth, and her past shouldn't follow her. But it did. Somehow, it was always there. She curled up on the floor, and hugged herself, remembering what had happened. So many times...her body shook with the memories. She had hidden most of her past from her friends, in the hopes that she could forget it, and it would never come back to her. She was stupid to think that. It always came back. It haunted her everywhere. She could try to ignore it as hard as she could, but it wouldn't do any good. She remembered the worst pain she had ever felt, tearing through her body. She remembered...

**This pain doesn't seem likely to fade,**

**A betrayal to my soul**

**The chains that once bound me are still there**

**I can feel them**

**Constantly straining against my smiling façade**

**Slowly pulling me down into the depths of despair**

**This tortured existence has continued on,**

**Day after day, agony after agony**

**These nightmares leave me ravaged—**

**A broken vessel**

She pushed the thoughts away, realizing that tears had begun to stream from her eyes. Her years as a slave were over with, and she needed to let them go. Even as she thought of it, she knew that she couldn't do it. Six years of her life had been ripped from her, and they were years she could never get back. Her childhood had been crushed, and tarnished. Years that were supposed to be spent playing with friends, learning what's right and wrong and just living life had been stolen. They had been replaced with years of pain, learning what her lords wanted from her, and countless rapings.

Starfire let out a small noise, as protest to her memories. In the first years, she had cried. She had fought and begged; anything to make them stop. Eventually, she had learned that it was easier to be quiet. They didn't beat you so hard if you were quiet. It had taken years to rebuild what they had broken inside of her. Still, the scars were there, and nothing she did could ever make them go away. She had tried so hard to hide it from her friends. She had always been happy, never letting her past get the best of her.

She breathed in deep, and pushed herself off of the floor. Tears drying on her face, she made her way back to her bed. Those nightmares, they were in the past. She had to forget about them. She had to. She cuddled up on her bed, gathering blankets around her. With the memories haunting her, she knew she wouldn't get to sleep again. She turned over on her stomach, and stared out the window at the moon. This night had been perfect...until her past had resurfaced. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the screams of her past. She lost all track of time, just trying to make the memories go away.

Lying on her bed, she began to slip in and out of consciousness. Whispers of her past came back, washing over her mind in vicious waves, crashing against her mind. Voices came back to her, voices she hadn't heard in a long time.

Her mother's. _Starfire must be a sacrifice for our people._

Her eyes snapped open. That was exactly what her mother had told her, when she was handed over to the Gordanians. She must have been dreaming. Her mother had been killed years ago, by the Citadel. As much as she tried to reason it away, the memories came back. Short clipped sentences wove through her mind, bringing back every ounce of pain that she had tried to forget.

_"Blackfire won't get away with this."_

_"Father, please! You can't do this to me! Don't let them take me!"_

_"Sister! We'll set you free somehow. I promise."_

_"Ryand'r, don't be foolish. No one has ever gotten away from them. I will go...for my people."_

And so she had gone. And so she had been tortured beyond her imaginings. She rubbed her still raw wrists, wishing that Robin had never given her those bracelets. It seemed like no matter what she did, she couldn't get away from these nightmares. They swept through her mind, leaving her numb, torn, and ravaged. She put her face down into the blankets and began to sing a Tamaranian lullaby, trying to soothe her now reopened wounds of memory.

She didn't have a chance to let the pain slip into the back of her mind because at that very instant, the tower alarm went off. "Titans!" Robin's voice could be heard echoing through the tower, "Let's go! We got a call from downtown, and it sounds like it could be dangerous." She shot up in bed, ever aware of her duty to protect. The instant before she flew out her door, she remembered her discarded armbands, and had to fly back to pick them off the bathroom floor. Gingerly, she slid them back on, careful not to put too much pressure on her scarred wrists. She stood for a moment, to gather her thoughts and composure, so no one would ever know what she had been doing. Her eyes flew open; she would be strong, and would never let anyone know about her weakness. She flew off to join the others, a fire burning in her eyes.

* * *

"Don't come near me!" the adolescent boy screamed, brandishing a large gun at the Titans. "Stay away or I swear I'll shoot!" Behind him lay the gritty backstreets and alleys that no one cared to look at. The boy looked to be about fifteen, but he was dirty, and his clothes were ragged and torn. His hair was disheveled, and the look in his eyes was pure desperation. His eyes made Starfire stop short mid flight. She had had the same eyes when she was a slave. 

"I said stay away!" he yelled, his voice cracking and hoarse. He turned away from them and started walking towards an old decrepit looking apartment building. He glanced over at them once, trying to gather his courage and be brave, and trying to hide his shaking arms.

"Stop," Robin said calmly, attempting to calm the boy, "you don't have to do this. Just talk to us." He took a step to the boy, but froze when he swung the gun in his direction.

"Stay away," he said, his voice as dark as a moonless night. Raven used her powers to take the gun away, and dismantle it before his eyes. "No," he whispered, eyes large as plates.

"Never point a gun at one of my friends," she said coldly, "or you'll get worse." He stared at her, not knowing how to react. He dropped to the ground, and made it look like the dirty street he was staring down at was the most interesting thing in the world.

"We'll let you go," Robin said, "because you didn't actually do anything." He glanced over at Cyborg, who was always ready for a cue.

"But next time," he chimed in, voice grim and serious, "you'll be going to jail."

"Yeah," Beast Boy cut in, feeling sorely left out, "so don't mess around with guns. You could hurt someone." As the titans turned away, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy flying, Robin on his motorcycle, and Cyborg in his precious car, all but one missed the parting words of the boy.

"What do you think I was trying to do?" he said them softly, almost to himself, but Starfire heard him. She turned around in the air, and looked back at him, sitting alone among the decaying houses. The image brought back a torrent of suppressed memories that she had been trying all night to keep hidden.

**They think they know me…**

**But they have no clue what my dreams would show them**

**I see those mocking faces in my mind,**

**I can still hear their words**

_"Starfire," her sister strolled in, eyes bright with hate, and looking almost too well fed. "I just wanted to check in on you, and see how you were doing with these wonderful people." She gestured back to the watching Gordanians, silent in their observations. She took a step toward her younger sister's filthy shell, and, putting a finger under her chin, lifted her head up to look at her. Her sister's green eyes were dull, and there was a decaying that she could sense in them. She laughed, her revenge assured. "I knew you'd break in here," she put her face close to hers and whispered, "how does it feel to be nothing but a filthy piece of trash?"_

_Starfire didn't say anything, but stared up into her sister's face, paused for a moment, and used all the power left in her body to spit. It landed hard in the center of Blackfire's face, who reared back, and gave a disgusted look at the dirt that was her sister. She wiped the spit off of her face, and raised a hand, "I hope you're happy here, little sister," she shot out the words like venom. She began to walk out, but turned at the last second, "Oh, by the way," she spoke as if what she said was of no concern to her, "Our brother, Ryand'r, died a few weeks ago in battle." She shrugged, "I just thought you might like to know."_

_The numbness was so deep, so consuming, she barely even knew what her sister had said. Her brother was dead…who was her brother? She seemed to have forgotten. When her sister had left, her captors towered over her, threading her so she wouldn't grieve. Grieve for whom? Her brother was dead…and so was she. She lived as a shell, never letting herself feel any of the pain. She had buried herself deep inside, so nothing could ever hurt her true self._

_As the blows began to rain down, for no other reason than to hit her, she did not fight them. She stood, as they beat her to a bloody pulp. Something inside her said she didn't deserve this, but she knew it was useless to fight it. One of them hit her head, knocking her down against the floor. Another kicked her as hard as he could, laughing at the sport of it. She coughed, and the smallest amount of blood came out. Just for that, they kick her harder. They don't like to get their floor dirty._

_Her wrists were shackled, and she could do nothing but collapse inside on herself. There was no way to fight them, and no reason to fight anymore. Her green eyes became dull and glazed over. Vaguely, she remembered a promise that someone would free her. But all thoughts were pushed from her mind as she sat up, filthy, beaten, and bleeding, and found herself alone on the cold stone floor._

She stared at the young boy, wanting to help him. Not even knowing why he needed helping. Her eyes began to burn with anger. None of them had a right to do that to her. No one had a right to do that to anyone. "Starfire?" Robin's voice called over the communicator, "are you coming?"

"Yes," she said, turning and flying slowly away, glancing back every few feet. From the house that the boy had began to walk to, came a man, looking to be about forty, and as grimy as the boy.

"What're you doin' out?" he said gruffly, the words easily carried to Starfire through the silent night. "It's late, get back inside." The boy didn't answer, and she assumed that he had gone into the house.

**Thwack**

She froze in the air, and spun around to face them. The boy lay face down on the street, and the man stood over him, his fist raised. "Listen to me when I talk to you," he said gruffly. He took him by the collar and pulled his face close, "What were you doing out so late?"

"Nothing, Dad," the boy mumbled.

"Get back inside," the man threw him towards the house, muttering, "Stupid ass kid."

Something that had been restraining Starfire broke loose. She sped down towards the man, and tackled him to the gritty street. She didn't think of using her powers. This scumbag didn't deserve them. She pounded her fist down, again and again, fighting every one of her memories, and desperate to stop them. She punched down hard, and pulled her hand back, looking at the blood that began to run from the man's nose. He was mumbling nonsensical words, trying to understand what was beating him up. Her memories fueled her anger, transforming his face into one of them.

_"Beat her."_

_"Bind her._

_"Have your turn with her."_

**I may be beaten; I may be broken**

**But I am a _warrior_**

**In the depths of my being,**

**I am a fighter.**

**Kicking and screaming every inch of the way,**

**I rebel against this damned fate.**

She didn't deserve that. That boy didn't deserve any of it. So much of her life had been stolen from her, leaving her torn and ravaged. She fought the man, proving to everyone that she would never let them do it again. When the Psions had captured her, and done their sick experiments, they had given her a weapon they didn't know about. They had given her starbolts, and they had given her hope. They had given her a way to fight, and she swore she would fight.

"What…who…are you?" the man managed to say in between punches.

"I am a warrior," she said, her voice burning with anger. Her fists began to beat a rhythm, pounding one after the other into him. Her hands became flecked with his blood, and it splattered on her arms. He was one of them. He was one of those wretched creatures who didn't deserve to crawl across broken glass. He deserved worse. So that's why the boy had had the gun. He had found a way to fight.

"Starfire?" she heard a motorcycle pull up behind her, and someone run over to where she was beating one of them. "Starfire!" the voice called again, but it was distant, miles away. "Starfire, stop!" Her eyes burned with memories of her final victory.

**Destroying all evidence of my defeat, **

**I lose myself in this sweet revenge**

**Flames race through my blood,**

**And something inside me screams, **

"_**I didn't deserve this." **_

**My vision blurs, the nightmares are back,**

**Always trying to break me**

**But I will never let them**

**Never again**

_"Someone stop her!" they screamed, running away from the child whose eyes burned bright green, and whose fists could kill them all, with their glowing fire. She swept through the camp, freeing every slave, and killing every Gordanian she could find. She was unstoppable, and everyone knew it. The prisoners praised her; their deliverance had finally come. The captors cursed her, sensing her ecstasy at the sweet revenge. They cowered in fear of her power, but not one of them could stop her before she had destroyed everything that had broken her. _

_After what seemed like glorious hours of revenge, they attacked her in a final, desperate battle. She laughed as they threw they're special hand cuffs over her wrists. That they could think that they could keep her tied up now. She would fight them, and she would never break like they had broken her. She was a warrior, and she would fight to insure that no one else ever had to feel what she had to._

She kept hitting him, paying no heed to the crimson blood that had covered her hands. Someone was running up behind her, and she could hear laughter, strong and triumphant. She could hear the cries of the freed prisoners; hear the screams of the first years, and feel the pain.

She began to sweat from the exertion of continuous punching. A bead of sweat dropped down her forehead, sliding to the corner of her eye. She wasn't cry; warriors didn't cry. She slammed her fist down on the face that was now distorted and covered in blood. She brought her hand back up for just one final hit. Then she would leave him broken. He was one of them. They deserved it.

She threw her fist down with all the force that was left in her body, closing her eyes and savoring the vengeance. Her body was jerked forward, as the inertia carried her way from her still hand. Something had gotten a hold of it. She spun her head around to look at the intruder, and stared into the masked face of Robin. His green glove became stained with blood as he held her dripping hand with his. "Starfire," he said softly, "stop."

She blinked once at him, then looked down, almost horrified at what she saw. The man lay bleeding, his face pounded in, cowering on the cement. What was she thinking? He wasn't one of them. She glanced over at the boy, who was sitting on the ground ten feet away, a content smile on his face. He looked at her, admiration shining in his eyes. He looked just like the prisoners had when she had set them free. "What are you doing?" Robin asked, angry and confused, "One second you're following us, and the next, you're beating up some defenseless civilian." His gaze was cold and hard, making her want to turn away, and not have to answer to him. He would never understand it. He had never been trapped like she had. He had never been a slave. "What happened?"

She looked back over at the boy, and found herself staring at him. Waves of hate rolled off him towards the man lying on the ground. She knew that hate all too well. Shaking off Robin's hand, she ran over to him, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He didn't pay any attention to the blood on her arms, but hugged her fiercely. "I'll make sure you're safe," she whispered so his father couldn't hear. Sill ignoring Robin, she picked up the boy and leaped into the air. "Where does your best friend live?" she asked, hoping to find him a good place to stay.

He mumbled directions in her ear, voice filled with a strange emotion. She didn't pay attention to her blinking communicator, and when the boy looked at it, frightened, she quickly dropped it onto the streets below them. He didn't need to be frightened anymore.

She landed outside a nice looking house and gently placed him on the ground. Before walking up the path, he said the first real things he'd said all night. "You saved me," he whispered, wanting to drink in the sight of his savoir.

"Sometimes," she said, staring into his eyes, "friends need to fight to protect other's freedom." _Like my brother. _The words sang through her head, weaving their song of sorrow. That's why she'd cared so much, she realized, he looked exactly like Ryand'r. She smiled at him, her eyes shining in the moonlight, "If you ever need to be saved, I will be there." She grasped him close in one last hug, imagining it was her brother, and she had saved him. Quickly, she released him, and sped off into the night, back towards the tower, and the people who thought they knew her.

* * *

"Wait," Beast Boy murmured, brain clouded and tired from a late night, "What was Starfire doing?" He scratched sleepily at his eyes, whishing he could just go to bed. 

"She was just beating him up," Robin paced back and forth in the control room, unable to contain his agitation. "Then she flew away, and I lost her communicator signal." Every few seconds he glanced out the window, hoping to see her flying home. "I don't know why she would do that," he went on, addressing the rest of the team, "it's so unlike her."

"Well," Raven said in her calm way, "did anything happen earlier tonight to her?" She stared at him, wondering just how he'd screwed up this time.

"I didn't do anything," he threw his hands out in exasperation, "I just gave her some bracelets."

"Is that all?" Cyborg asked, thinking of the many ways he could have messed up that simple situation.

"Yes!" their leader burst out, silencing all of them. At that moment, the tower alarm went off softly. "She's back," he spun around, running to the main computer screen. "She's going straight to her room." Without another word to the others, he ran off down the corridor towards the alien's room. He sprinted around a corner in the hall, and saw an image of her going into her room. "Starfire!" he yelled, freezing her in her tracks.

She stood in the doorway, and partially turned to see him, as he skidded to a halt in front of her. "What is it Robin?" she asked, as tranquil as still waters.

"What happened back there?" he demanded, slightly irked that she had flown away with that other boy.

"Oh," she said, as if the question surprised her, "I just had a nightmare. The man reminded me of the monster from my dream," she looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry I lost my temper on him, but I thought I was still in my dream. I was very tired," she stared at him, hoping that her eyes wouldn't give her away.

"Star," he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "are you okay?" He paused, almost ashamed of what he was saying, "It's just that…doing that isn't normal." He looked at the floor, at the wall, at his shoes, anywhere but her face.

"You have had nightmares before, have you not?" she asked, her voice cold and angry, "And you fought nothing, and thought it was Slade. That is 'not normal'." She turned, and was walking back in her room, when he grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean it like that, I just…was worried about you."

Without turning around, she replied, her voice barely warmer, "It is alright, Robin. A nightmare is only a nightmare." She slid her arm out of his grasp, and disappeared into her room, the door sliding shut behind her. _A nightmare is only a nightmare…_ In her mind, she saw her oppressors, once again beating her, breaking her. She had beaten them, and yet the memories could never leave her. She clenched her fists, and closed her eyes. They had beaten her once, but she was a warrior. She would never let those ravaging nightmares hurt her. They were from the past, and she was stronger than them.

Staring out her window, she gazed up at the stars, and imagined her brother, smiling at her, telling her that she was stronger than she thought. She smiled at the vague memory, and prayed to X'hal that her brother's soul was safe and at peace. As she looked out into the night, she let everything slip away, and for the smallest moment, she was a child again, staring out at the stars of Tamaran, dreaming of everything she wanted her life to be.

**My world may crumble,**

**My heart may break,**

**But I will stand strong among the debris,**

**Always fighting**

_**I didn't deserve this**_


End file.
